MATCH PREVIEW: England Vs. New Zealand
The Red Roses face the Black Ferns at home for the first time in over a year.
New Zealand Women brave the chill at Twickenham Stoop on Saturday afternoon in a highly anticipated match against England.
England’s head coach Simon Middleton is expecting a challenging Test against the world’s number one women’s side.
He said: “We have two tough games under our belts where we have had the opportunity to test our resilience and the strength and depth of our squad. We look forward to bringing Emily Scarratt and Lydia Thompson back into the starting 15 and having the support of a home crowd.â€
This match holds significance for three English players.
Fly-half Katy Mclean will be starting in her 80th cap for England while Emily Scarratt will be earning her 60th cap, returning to outside centre following a concussion.
Prop Rochelle Clark is hoping to come off the bench to earn her 116th cap, making her the world’s most-capped women’s player, surpassing Scotland’s Donna Kennedy.
England have won both matches this series with a 10-5 victory over France at home and an exciting 12-10 win over Ireland at University College Dublin.
New Zealand have had a successful autumn in the southern hemisphere with a 67-3 win against Australia at home in Auckland and a 29-3 victory over the Wallaroos away in Australia.
The Red Roses and Black Ferns have met just once this World Cup cycle, when New Zealand walked away with a 26-7 win in July 2015.
Kick-off is 12pm at Twickenham Stoop.
England:
15. Danielle Waterman (Bristol)
14. Lydia Thompson (Worcester Valkyries)
13. Emily Scarratt (Lichfield)
12. Rachael Burford (Aylesford Bulls)
11. Fiona Pocock (Aylesford)
10. Katy Mclean (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)
9. Natasha Hunt (Lichfield)
1. Vickii Cornborough (Aylesford Bulls)
2. Amy Cokayne (Lichfield)
3. Laura Keates (Worcester Valkyries)
4. Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)
5. Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield)
6. Izzy Noel-Smith (Bristol)
7. Marlie Packer (Bristol)
8. Sarah Hunter (Bristol)
Replacements: Emma Croker (Richmond), Rochelle Clark (Worcester Valkyries), Justine Lucas (Lichfield), Poppy Cleall (Bristol), Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens), La Toya Mason (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Emily Scott (Saracens), Claire Allan (Saracens).
Black Ferns:
15. Selica Winiata
14. Honey Hireme
13. Portia Woodman
12. Chelsea Alley
11. Renee Wickliffe
10. Kelly Brazier
9. Kendra Cocksedge
1. Toka Natua
2. Fiao’o Faamausili (c)
3. Aleisha Nelson
4. Eloise Blackwell
5. Charmaine Smith
6. Rawinia Everitt
7. Charmaine McMenamin
8. Aroha Savage
Replacements: Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, Aldora Itunu, Aotearoa Mata'u, Charlene Gubb, Angie Sisifa, Kristina Sue, Carla Hohepa, Hazel Tubic.
